Remote molecular recognition of chemical species is desirable for forensic and surveillance of objects and persons, for example, at security checkpoints such as those at the airports. Thus, developing a better understanding of detecting chemical species is desired.
Chemical examination of approaching objects (and persons) needs to be done as much in advance as possible, and as accurately as possible. Chemical intelligence on a subject could be used for forensic, surveillance and military applications. While infrared (IR) sensors are widely used for chemical analysis, substances stored in containers and also materials such as H2O and CO2 are difficult to analyze using IR sensors. The sensor of the embodiments of this invention overcomes these disadvantages of IR sensors. Also, the sensor of the embodiments of this invention can distinguish between allotropes, some of which may be explosives.